Oregon’s I-5 RV Retailing Corridor All But Gone

Posted By
RVBusiness
On
November 13, 2009 @ 9:50 am
In
Breaking News |
No Comments

Editor’s Note: This report by KMTR-TV, Springfield, Ore., describes the demise of what used to be the epicenter of the Northwest’s motorhome business, the retail front, more or less, for area manufacturers Monaco Coach Corp., now Monaco RV LLC, and Country Coach Inc., which is still in business as a factory-direct operation.

Watch the video in today’s Featured Video section.

The end of an era has come for a stretch along Interestate 5 in Coburg, Ore.

For years it was home to hundreds of RVs for sale, now it’s empty land. It was as familiar a landmark as any in Lane County during its heyday with hundreds of RVs on sale from several retailers like Ingram RV, Paradise RV, RV Corrall and La Mesa.

One by one they all moved on, bit by the economy. The last one standing was Guaranty RV and now it too has moved leaving the RV mecca along the freeway into a group of vacant lots.

Guaranty is still selling RVs but now it’s doing it from it’s lot in Junction City. Shannon Nill the General Manager for Guaranty RV says it’s about consolidating and becoming more efficient.

Regarding the RV industry in Lane County, Nill says, “It’s still here, Country Coach is still open, Monaco is still open, however we’ve all had to adjust, that’s the main thing the adjustment.”

Nill says people are still interested in buying RVs but it’s harder to get financing for the high-end models. He’s optimistic as the economy improves and expects 2010 to be a better year for sales.

During the consolidation from Coburg to Junction City Nill says he was able to keep all of his employees.

Concerning the economic effect on Coburg, the city says that even though the retailers are gone, it still expects to collect property taxes from the lots, lessening any financial problems for the city.